Property crime: Thieves coming back for more

Friday

Nov 16, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 16, 2012 at 11:48 AM

They are junkies, strung out on heroin and stealing to feed their habit, police say. They also are the kind of criminals whom most law-abiding citizens are likely to encounter, and they get around more than you might think. In a joint news conference yesterday, police chiefs from throughout Delaware and Franklin counties sought to give the public a glimpse into their constant fight against property crimes and the kinds of people who are committing them.

Theodore Decker, The Columbus Dispatch

They are junkies, strung out on heroin and stealing to feed their habit, police say.

They also are the kind of criminals whom most law-abiding citizens are likely to encounter, and they get around more than you might think.

In a joint news conference yesterday, police chiefs from throughout Delaware and Franklin counties sought to give the public a glimpse into their constant fight against property crimes and the kinds of people who are committing them.

Using as an example a loosely knit crew of thieves who have been arrested repeatedly on charges that range from receiving stolen property to drug possession, police agencies detailed their efforts to work together and their frustrations as they lock up the same suspects repeatedly, only to have them back on the streets within days.

With the approach of the holiday shopping season, they also urged citizens to play their part by keeping their valuables locked up and their eyes open.

Police fleshed out the habits and travels of the thieves after agencies across two counties realized they were encountering the same crooks, Columbus Police Chief Kimberley Jacobs said.

In recent months, the same suspects were encountered by police in Columbus, Gahanna, Westerville, Upper Arlington, Worthington and beyond.

The suspects stay at cheap motels, friends’ places and occasionally on the streets. They have broken into cars, sheds and homes, mostly on the North Side and the northern suburbs.

“Pretty much whatever property isn’t anchored down, they are stealing,” said Columbus Lt. Robert Strausbaugh, a burglary investigator.

One suspect, a 28-year-old man, has been arrested or suspected in a string of crimes since January that have occurred in Westerville, Upper Arlington, Worthington, Columbus and Gahanna.

Jacobs said police often hear from citizens who think that police aren’t making enough arrests.

“This demonstrates that we do make arrests,” she said, standing beside a board detailing the lengthy arrest histories of the featured thieves. She said the revolving door can’t be fixed by police but must be addressed by the judicial system and the legislature.